Survey: 50 percent of voters fear the government won’t take steps to help the economy

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The Daily Ardmoreite

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Posted May. 8, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Posted May. 8, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Half of voters still fear the government won’t take the necessary steps to help the economy, and most continue to think spending cuts are the way to do it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of 1,000 like U.S. voters found 38 percent are worried the federal government will do too much in reacting to the nation’s economic problems. Fifty-one percent are more worried the government will not do enough. Eleven percent are undecided.

But just 24 percent think the federal government should increase spending in reacting to the nation’s economic problems. Sixty-three percent think the government should cut spending instead, 13 percent are not sure.

Among voters who are worried the government won’t do enough, 41 percent want spending increases, while 43 percent call for spending cuts. Among those who fear the government will do too much, 95 percent favor spending cuts.

Findings on both questions are little changed from March. In October 2013, 52 percent were worried the government wouldn’t do enough, the highest level of concern in five years, while 37 percent were more fearful it would do too much. As recently as October 2012, voters were tied on this question. From 2008 through mid-2011, voters consistently expressed more concern than the government would do too much rather than not enough.

Support for cutting spending has run as high as 73 percent, while support for more spending has ranged from 17 percent to 26 percent.